New Hampshire

Last week, I gave a presentation on the pollutants that plague Lake Champlain. On one slide I focused on the negative impacts of microbeads – miniature plastic balls so tiny that they slip through wastewater treatment systems and wind up in our lakes (and rivers, streams, and ocean). Once in the water, microbeads don’t biodegrade…

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu says he stands by President Trump’s recent decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord. Adopted in 2015 by every nation other than Syria and Nicaragua, the historic climate accord sets non-binding carbon emission reduction goals for each country to meet by their own means. The accord’s…

Tomorrow in Dallas, ExxonMobil’s climate hypocrisy will be on full display at its annual shareholders meeting. As a public company, Exxon allows shareholders to submit proposals for vote at each annual meeting. This year, four of the nine proposals call out the company for its failure to adequately address climate impacts – from its unmitigated…

Jeff Barnum retired Wednesday after nearly four years as the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper for the Conservation Law Foundation. “If I knew leaving was going to be this difficult I wouldn’t have quit,” Barnum said. He was joined by CLF’s new waterkeeper Melissa Paly, a longtime Seacoast environmental advocate and activist who lives in Kittery Point,…

This week, ocean advocates convened at the Blue Vision Summit in Washington, D.C., to rally support in defense of our blue movement and to discuss solutions to some of the ocean’s toughest challenges. This three-day meeting brought together some 500 participants from across the country, first to meet with members of Congress and, second, to…

For eight years we’ve been fighting against Eversource’s proposed Northern Pass project. New England didn’t really need it then, and we certainly don’t need it now. It’s time for the idea to be retired.

Back in February, President Trump issued an executive order requiring government agencies to review and evaluate all existing regulations on the books. This is all in service to an earlier executive order that says federal agencies must axe two regulations for each new one they create. We have an opportunity right now to speak up…

May’s arrival means that summer is finally close. In New England, there is no better time to enjoy a fresh, local seafood dinner than on a warm summer night. For many of us, that means serving up New England staples like haddock, cod, or flounder. These species aren’t only dinner staples, however. They also form…

Mindi Messmer represents the Seacoast towns of Rye and New Castle in New Hampshire’s House of Representatives. She has been an environmental consultant for 25 years, working with businesses, banks, and the U.S. government on the presence of environmental contaminants. This blog was originally published as an article in Less Cancer Journal. I am a…

Our food system must evolve into a resilient resource, and that means supporting our small family farms. Will Sonny Perdue, the new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, be able to leave his days in Big Ag behind to ensure his department supports farmers of all sizes?